University of Minnesota

Researchers have successfully used a 3-D printer to print an electronic circuit on human skin. The technology could help soldiers on the battlefield to detect chemical or biological agents, and the medical field for treating wounds and constructing skin grafts.

Two new papers, one published in Nature and one in Advanced Materials, describe 3-D printing techniques that use silica nanoparticle inks—rather than molten glass itself—to to fabricate optically clear glass components with micrometer-scale resolution, a huge leap forward for the integration of glass materials into additive manufacturing.

After almost a year of research and development, engineers at Iowa State University are putting their taller concrete wind turbine towers to the test with plans to revolutionize how we harness wind power in the U.S.

This image of toxic effects from exposure to nanoparticles dates to 2007. New nanotoxicological techniques could mean significant changes to the diagram, but in surprising ways. Credit: Wikimedia. As nanotechnology is increasingly commercialized, the question of safety, as it relates to handling the materials during synthesis and manufacture, and even in product use, arises regularly.…

The Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, located at the University of Minnesota and one of the eight NSF-sponsored Mathematical Sciences Institutes, will be holding what sounds like a really good multiday workshop on the Materials Genome Initiative Sept. 12-15, 2012. According to an IMA web page on the event, the goal of the workshop…

Zeolite pellets like these are being used by Fraunhofer researchers in a new high-efficiency thermal energy storage system. Credit: Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB. This is totally an empirical observation, but it seems like recently there have been a growing number of references to zeolites in science and technology literature. Maybe it’s not…

Check ’em out: Ultralight metallic microlattices A team of researchers from UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology have developed the world’s lightest material—with a density of 0.9 mg/cc—about 100 times lighter than Styrofoam. Their findings appear in the Nov. 18 issue of Science. The new material redefines the limits of lightweight…

Abengoa, designer of novel concentrating solar power towers, is a participant in several new ARPA-E funded projects for storing thermal energy. Credit: Abengoa Last week Eileen reported on ARPA-E’s new awards in rare-earth alternative technologies. This week I thought I would take a look at APRA-E’s $37.3 million initiative to find a disruptive thermal storage…

ARPA-E announced $31.6 million in awards to develop new, rare-earth-free permanent magnet materials. Credit: ARPA-E Rare earth permanent magnets are key components in electric vehicle motors and in wind turbine electricity generators, and international concern over the economics of rare-earth raw materials has been well documented here and elsewhere. DOE is addressing the issue from…

Secretary Steven Chu announced new investments in wind energy research facilities that aim to produce the most advanced and efficient wind turbines in the world. The funding is from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the research will focus on improving both land-based and offshore wind generation. $24 million will support university research and…